‘GameChangers’ competition advances opportunities for girls and women through sport

Girls in Brazil play football as part of a UNICEF-supported programme to help them overcome social barriers.

NEW YORK, USA, 17 February 2009 – Last year, UNICEF supported an online competition, ‘Changemakers: Sport for a Better World’, organized by Ashoka, an international network of social entrepreneurs. This year, UNICEF is supporting Changemakers – Ashoka's online community – in a new initiative called ‘GameChangers: Change the Game for Women in Sport’.

Through these ongoing competitions, Changemakers identifies and convenes the world's best social innovators and provides a safe, action-oriented space in which isolated or little-known entrepreneurs and inventors can blossom.

In the 2008 competition – which called attention to leading sport-for-development projects around the world – UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman was among six judges who selected 10 finalists, from which the public chose 3 winners. The winning projects came from non-governmental organizations in South Africa, the United States and Brazil. Each received $5,000 and capacity-building training from the Nike corporation.

GameChangers deadline: 25 February

The 2009 GameChangers competition aims to bring together the next wave of innovators eager to ‘change the game’ for women in sport. Through an Internet platform, it will identify and support sport initiatives that challenge the barriers faced by girls and women worldwide.

“UNICEF promotes the advancement of girls and women and sees GameChangers as an innovative vehicle to capture and promote good practices,” said UNICEF Chief of Civil Society Partnerships Liza Barrie.

UNICEF is encouraging submissions and nominations of sport-based projects to advance the participation of girls and women. The deadline for submissions is 25 February 2009. For more information, visit www.changemakers.com/womeninsport.